Sachems
Speaking of Sachem skipper butterflies, I had so many this year! They seemed to be popping up all over the place in August and September. Here we have the female along with a couple of photos of a male. They are a nonresident and enter our Northeast region from the south. Gardens are a great place to find them enjoying a variety of flowers. Were you able to spot any at your home or favorite patch? Scott Kruitbosch Conservation & Outreach Coordinator
Read MoreGray Hairstreak Butterfly
Looks at a Gray Hairstreak (Strymon melinus) don’t get much better than this as recently photographed on this Cardinal Climber flower.
Read MoreLeast Skipper (Ancyloxypha numitor)
Say, what do we have here? A moth? Nay! The Least Skipper (Ancyloxypha numitor) lives up to its name as the smallest skipper in our region and can easily go unseen among its relatives. Take a close and low look in grasslands or gardens to find one, especially in wet areas.
Read MoreCommon Buckeye Butterfly
Meet the Common Buckeye (Junonia coenia) butterfly, and while this one is a bit worn here at the end of the season, it has some incredibly good looks nonetheless.
Read MoreAmerican Goldfinch Eating Coneflowers
Finally! It took me a while, but here is photographic proof of why you should not cut any dead coneflower heads. This American Goldfinch was chowing down and enjoying it so much that it ignored me. I frequently hear and occasionally see them dining like this, but never when my camera is near or I am close to them. Many plants end up producing delicious seeds in their…less aesthetically pleasing stages…and should be left alone as a meal for many forms of wildlife, or even just to propagate their species. Scott Kruitbosch Conservation & Outreach Coordinator
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